It is certainly not convenient to walk with a big jar of wine in his hand, and it will also attract the attention of passers-by on the street. After all, Ji Yuan is not pulling a cart, and his dress at the moment is indeed quite eye-catching. However, under the subtle and silent deception, when Ji Yuan walked out of the alley and onto the street outside, not many people noticed him.
With a light tap, Ji Yuan knocked off the seal of the wine jar. Holding the Thousand Dou Pot in one hand and the large wine jar in the other, the wine inside turned into a small water tornado, which meandered into the open mouth of the Thousand Dou Pot. In just a few breaths, the entire wine jar was empty.
"This jar..."
Muttering this, Ji Yuan did not throw the jar away, but put it directly into his sleeve. He vaguely remembered that the old man said that the jar alone would cost fifty cents, so it was considered a free gift. Even if it could not be returned, it would be fine to return it to the old man later.
After walking along the street for about half a quarter of an hour, Ji Yuan saw Gan Qingle coming back hurriedly from the opposite direction. The other party seemed to be thinking about something and did not notice Ji Yuan for a while. When he saw him clearly, he was only seven or eight steps away from him.
"Mr. Ji? Why weren't you waiting for me at the wine shop?"
"I've bought the wine, so I came out to take a look. By the way, now that I've met Hero Gan, is there anything interesting about what happened just now?"
Hearing Ji Yuan ask this, Gan Qingle took a few steps closer, glanced around, and whispered to Ji Yuan.
"To be honest, sir, it's quite a coincidence that the woman I saw was also with the group going to Hui Mansion."
While speaking, Gan Qingle stared at Ji Yuan closely, as if he wanted to see something from him. It was not that he did not trust Ji Yuan, but this kind of coincidence was just a conditioned reflex of a wanderer.
"Oh, that's a coincidence. However, a team like that is not something that a small family can have. The Hui family is even more powerful and upper-class in the city. It's normal to visit them. Well, Ji will also go to visit them. Maybe we can meet each other. Then let's go."
Gan Qingle thought about it and nodded.
"Very well, I will lead you to Hui Mansion now. Please wait a moment, sir, while I go get my wine bag."
Gan Qingle believed that he was very good at judging people. From the first impression to a brief contact, he could probably form a definition of a stranger in his mind, especially after drinking together. Although Tong Jiyuan had not been in contact with him for a long time, he thought that this person was by no means a sinister villain. They might be able to have some fun by going to Hui Mansion together, so he was happy to help even if there was no fun to join in.
"No need, I brought it to you."
Ji Yuan took out the leather bag and handed it to Gan Qingle. The latter was slightly stunned. He didn't seem to see Ji Yuan carrying this leather wine bag just now. It seemed that he had seen it wrong.
The Hui family is not only a wealthy and powerful family in Lianyue Prefecture, but Master Hui is also the prefect of Lianyue Prefecture. The old man of the Hui family was also a minister in the court in the capital, but he has retired long ago. Moreover, because the Hui family has a daughter who married into the palace, they are one of the favored royal relatives.
It didn't take the two of them much effort to reach the street where Hui Mansion was located. On the way there, before Ji Yuan even asked, Gan Qingle couldn't help but tell Ji Yuan how amazing the woman he had seen before was, and how she was an absolute expert in the martial arts world. However, Ji Yuan just responded politely at most, without any exaggerated reaction.
In front of the Hui Mansion, the gate is very grand, with several brand new lanterns hanging high. There are eight people guarding the gate, and there are two tall stone lions outside. Although it is located in a relatively prosperous street, there are no stalls or other things within a considerable area outside the mansion.
"This Hui Mansion is even more magnificent than the Prime Minister's Mansion."
Seeing the appearance of the gate of Hui Mansion, the people in the gate and the atmosphere of the entire Hui Mansion, Ji Yuan suddenly felt that he might not be able to enter the gate of Hui Mansion if he visited like this.
Gan Qingle, who was standing by, laughed when he heard Ji Yuan say this.
"Mr. Ji is right. Even the prime minister of the capital has to give some respect to the Hui family. After all, there is a Hui concubine in the family..."
Before Gan Qingle could finish his words, someone at the gate of the mansion shouted.
"What are you doing? Why are you standing in front of the Hui Mansion for so long?"
"Oh, please inform him that the great hero Gan Qingle Gan has come to visit Master Hui."
Ji Yuan's words stunned Gan Qingle who was standing beside him. He turned to Ji Yuan and said "uh" but before he could say anything else, the servant guarding the gate spoke again.
"Yihao Iron Fist Gan Qingle? Is this the Hero Gan?"
After looking at Ji Yuan, the eight gatekeepers all focused their attention on Gan Qingle beside him. The feature of his beard was very obvious. Before, they just subconsciously took a few more glances at him, but now when they associated him with the name, they immediately matched his appearance.
Gan Qingle twitched his lips, glanced at Ji Yuan who seemed to be smiling, but did not expose him. Instead, he clasped his fists and said to the guard.
"I am Gan Qingle, please inform me!"
"Hero Gan, please wait a moment. I will go and report right away!"
As he spoke, a gatekeeper hurried into the mansion. Even if this Gan Qingle was fake, it was not their turn to identify him. Besides, the Hui Mansion was not a place where one could get in just by making up a name.
"Mr. Ji, what are you up to?"
"I, Ji Yuan, am neither a noble nor a famous person, so I'd better borrow the name of Hero Gan. Don't worry, I won't harm you. Of course, if Hero Gan..."
Gan Qingle asked in a low voice, and Ji Yuan also replied in a low voice. The former was not afraid of being implicated, but he also felt a little amused.
Not long after, the gatekeeper who had reported in before came back, and with him came a middle-aged man in tight clothes. As soon as he came out, he stared at Gan Qingle and confirmed the identity of the visitor with just a quick glance.
"It is indeed Hero Gan. Hero Gan, please come in quickly. By the way, who is the gentleman next to you?"
"My last name is Ji, and I came here with Hero Gan."
"Oh, it's Mr. Ji, please come in together!"
Ji Yuan and Gan Qingle would certainly not refuse, and followed the visitor into Hui Mansion. The mansion was filled with exquisite pavilions and towers, and there were groups of maids and servants, displaying the luxurious style of the powerful and wealthy.
…
In a reception room of the Hui Mansion, Princess Chu Ruyan of Tingliang State and her accompanying female official Lu Qianyan were sitting here. In addition to two other personal maids, there was also a monk in a cassock, who was Hui Tong.
Even though she is not young anymore, Chu Ruyan is still radiant and charming. Not only does she not show any signs of aging, but she looks even more charming.
But unlike the relaxed atmosphere when they came last time, there was no one from Hui Mansion present at this moment, and the three of them looked somewhat serious.
"Master Huitong, is there really a demonic aura here?"
Lu Qianyan asked in a low voice, his eyes always keeping an eye on the maids from Hui Mansion at the edge of the living room, while Hui Tong's lips moved slightly.
"Very faint, very faint. I have been practicing under the Bodhi tree in Daliang Temple for a long time, and have been blessed by the Dao and Buddha. I can't be wrong. Moreover, this evil spirit seems to be more than one. Some are barely audible, while others are elusive. Maybe it doesn't appear often, or it is very good at hiding, or maybe it is both. It is really hard to predict."
"Master, can you keep the princess safe?"
"Good be to the Great Ming King Buddha! I will do my best to keep Her Royal Highness the Princess safe!"
Chu Ruyan smiled brightly at Hui Tong. Although many people laughed at her privately as an unmarried princess at an advanced age, she did not care. Hui Tong did not react at all to her smile.
"Should Master Hui know about this?"
Lu Qianyan asked this question to the eldest princess, who shook her head slightly.
"Let's wait and see. The first thing to do is to bring Master Huitong to the capital of Tianbao Kingdom to meet the emperor. Anyway, Master Hui will be back soon."
As he said this, Monk Huitong's expression suddenly became serious and he winked at the two people beside him. The two of them immediately reacted, regained their composure, and started talking and laughing with each other.
"Ah, this must be the Princess of Tingliang. She is so gorgeous. Even a woman like me is moved by her!"
A charming and beautiful woman walked into the living room with several servants. Her eyes stayed on Chu Ruyan for a moment, then she glanced at Lu Qianyan and then looked at Hui Tong.
"This must be the eminent monk Hui Tong from Daliang Temple, right? I have long admired him even in Tianbao Country! Oh, I forgot the etiquette. My name is Liu Sheng Yan, which also has the character Yan. I am honored to meet Her Royal Highness the Princess and Master Hui Tong!"
The woman smiled and bowed. Chu Ruyan was the eldest princess of Tingliang State, so there was no need for her to return the greeting. Hui Tong stood up, put his hands together, and chanted a Buddhist name.
"Good be to the Great Ming King Buddha. I return the greeting!"
"Haha, Master Huitong is so handsome, no wonder the princess is so attracted to you..."
The woman came over and approached Monk Huitong with a smile on her face, and even wanted to reach out to touch Huitong's face, but Huitong took a step back to avoid her. At the same time, a Buddha's light flashed in the depths of his Buddha's eyes. Although it was very faint, the woman in front of him was filled with demonic energy, but this demonic energy would hardly dissipate from her body surface. If Huitong had not cultivated the Bodhi Mirror, it would not have been reflected at all.
"What a wonderful monster, I don't even know what its original form is!"
"Humph, Madam Liu, respect yourself!"
Chu Ruyan couldn't see that this slut was getting close to Hui Tong, so she spoke coldly, while Lu Qianyan on the side stepped forward and cleverly separated Liu Shengyan from him.
At this moment, at the front gate of Hui Mansion, Ji Yuan and Gan Qingle were following the Hui family's steward into the house. They certainly would not go to the guest hall where the eldest princess and Hui Tong were, but they would not be neglected either. However, at this moment, Ji Yuan paused and his eyes swept towards a certain place in Hui Mansion.
"Mr. Ji, what's wrong?"
"Haha, it's become a den of foxes. I overestimated you! Hero Gan, do you believe there are monsters in this world?"
Ji Yuan had originally planned to sneak in and take his time, but now he felt that this was not necessary for the time being.
"ah?"
Gan Qingle on the side hadn't reacted yet, when he suddenly found that Ji Yuan's figure became blurry, as if dragging a cloud of smoke and leaving in the direction of Hui Mansion, while his own movements were abnormally slow, and even raising his hand seemed to be in slow motion.
When Gan Qingle woke up, Ji Yuan had disappeared.
"Hero Gan, this way please."
The manager was still smiling, as if he didn't notice Ji Yuan leaving. Gan Qingle even felt that he didn't remember the existence of Ji Yuan.
"My goodness, this plan is incredible..."
While Gan Qingle was shocked, in a guest room over at Hui Mansion, Liu Ruyan's eyes flashed with a cold light, but she remained polite on the outside. She stretched her body implicitly, smiled and walked aside Lu Qianyan.
"I am here to meet the eminent monk who is about to enter the palace, and to admire the beauty of the eldest princess. The master will be back soon, and I..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by a calm voice.
"Where is the fox? Is it in the palace?"
Liu Ruyan suddenly turned around and saw Ji Yuan, wearing a wide-sleeved green shirt, standing there, looking at her expressionlessly.
"My name is Ji Yuan. I think you must have heard of my name. If you dare to move me, you will be annihilated."
This sentence came out of Ji Yuan's mouth in a calm tone, but it had the terrifying power of words coming true. Liu Ruyan's pupils contracted violently. After really seeing Ji Yuan clearly, her whole body felt like she was in an ice cellar. She was so scared that her limbs were as heavy as lead. She dared not even breathe, let alone move.